Thank you, France, for macarons.
These pastel, mini burger-like French cookies are delicate, hard to come across, and rather expensive in the United States. Two disks of sweet (gluten-free!) cookie sandwich a delicious, diversatile meringue that can harvest any flavor or essence you can imagine (if the baker is daring). They are made under extremely temperamental conditions: if the air is too humid or hot, if the baker doesn't wait long enough for the dough to set, if the oven is not exactly 295 degrees (different temperatures for different locations of course), you could possibly pull out flat, crumbled disks that don't come off the parchment paper.
Oh, but a dedicated macaron hunter will always be rewarded. Some bakeries will disappoint, and even the great bakers can turn out some batches that aren't as good, simply because of the weather that day. But when you land on a good macaron and in a flavor and color that just rocks your world (lychee-rose? Passionfruit-chocolate?) you will wear a smile on your face for days (as well as a healthy appetite for MORE macarons!) And those who bake them at home: my hat is off to you.
And this is what this blog is about. Whatever one needs for a smile on their face :) Whether it is an inspirational quote, a reminder of what's good in life, love, camaraderie between bloggers, or food, I will try my best to provide it daily.
For me, macarons not only bring joy to my tastebuds, but they also play a big part in love for me. As college students, my boyfriend and I are studying in two different states and have weathered the storm of long-distance courting for almost a year. Every time I visit him in the Big Apple, he would teach me how to skateboard down Riverside Park. Throughout the morning, we'd make our way to the closest macaron bakery or Absolute Bagels on 108th street and treat ourselves. To anyone around the city, I recommend Macaron Cafe. :)
Welcome to my blog!
No comments:
Post a Comment